PASDEC & LCCI Signed MOU

PASDEC & LCCI Signed MOU

Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) and Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to ensure growth of marble and stone industry on sustainable basis.

Secretary mines & minerals Dr. Muhammad Arshad, executive committee member Zeeshan Khalil and Mehboob Sirki also spoke on the occasion. Provincial minister said that efforts were afoot for development of mines and minerals sector ofPunjaband special attention was being given to technological advancement and old techniques were being replaced with new ones. he said that mining sector was being developed in consultation with stakeholders as its efficiency was need of the hour.

He said that the MoU between the LCCI and PASDEC should be translated into an agreement. LCCI acting president Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan said that Pakistan was one of the top mineral extractors of marble and granite in the world. He said that despite having huge deposits, country’sexports of marble and marble products were not up-to-the-mark. He said that the government should remove the constraints faced by marble and stone industry to ensure sharp increase in its exports.

He said that, major obstacles hindering the growth of mining industry were dearth of value addition, outdated quarrying techniques, latest technologyand lack of infrastructures etc., that must be paid heed by the authorities concerned. he said that the MoU between the LCCI and PASDEC would certainly help develop this important industry. Zahid Maqsood Sheikh said that collaboration between the two organizations would help develop marble and granite sector in Punjab.

he added that the PASDEC would provide complete resources with technical assistance, if the investors/business community was prepared to come forward on production side for boosting theexportsof marble and granite. Convener of LCCI standing committee on marble, Chaudhry Khadim Hussain said that Pakistan was blessed with finest quality of marble but lack of modern technologies for cutting, finishing and grading was hindering its growth. he said that Italy had the best technologies for promotion of marble sector while Italian businessmen were also keen to start joint ventures with their Pakistani counterparts that would also help transfer technology. he said that these measures could ensure value addition of marble that would help earning precious foreign exchange.